1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Corporal | Clarence | Frederick |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Cobourg ON | Eastern Ontario | 1920-06-07 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
Transportation - Home Base to Hong Kong
Members of 'C' Force from the East travelled across Canada by CNR troop train, picking up reinforcements enroute. Stops included Valcartier, Montreal, Ottawa, Armstrong ON, Capreol ON, Winnipeg, Melville SK, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Jasper, and Vancouver, arriving in Vancouver on Oct 27 at 0800 hrs.
The Winnipeg Grenadiers and the local soldiers that were with Brigade Headquarters from Winnipeg to BC travelled on a CPR train to Vancouver.
All members embarked from Vancouver on the ships AWATEA and PRINCE ROBERT. AWATEA was a New Zealand Liner and the PRINCE ROBERT was a converted cruiser. "C" Company of the Rifles was assigned to the PRINCE ROBERT, everyone else boarded the AWATEA. The ships sailed from Vancouver on Oct 27th and arrived in Hong Kong on November 16th, having made brief stops enroute at Honolulu and Manila.
Equipment earmarked for 'C' Force use was loaded on the ship DON JOSE, but would never reach Hong Kong as it was rerouted to Manila when hostilities commenced.
On arrival, all troops were quartered at Nanking Barracks, Sham Shui Po Camp, in Kowloon.
Battle Information
We do not have specific battle information for this soldier in our online database. For a detailed description of the battle from a Canadian perspective, visit Canadian Participation in the Defense of Hong Kong (published by the Historical Section, Canadian Military Headquarters).
Wounded Information
No wounds recorded.Hospital Information
No record of hospital visits found.POW Camps
| Camp ID | Camp Name | Location | Company | Type of Work | Arrival Date | Departure Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-SM-01 | Stanley | Fort Stanley, Hong Kong Island | Capture | 41 Dec 30 | ||
| HK-NP-01 | North Point | North Point, Hong Kong Island | 41 Dec 30 | 42 Sep 26 | ||
| HK-SA-02 | Shamshuipo | Kowloon, Hong Kong | 42 Sep 26 | 43 Jan 19 | ||
| JP-To-3D | Tsurumi | Yokohama-shi, Tsurumi-ku, Suyehiro-cho, 1-chome, Japan | Nippon Steel Tube - Tsurumi Shipyards | Variety of jobs related to ship building | 43 Jan 19 | 45 May 13 |
| JP-Se-1B | Yumoto | Fukushima-ken, Iwaki-gun, Yumoto-cho, Mizunoya, Japan | Joban Coal Mining Company | 45 May 13 | 45 Sep 15 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD3A | Tatuta Maru | 43 Jan 19, left Shamsuipo Camp, 0500 hrs; left Hong Kong 1300hrs | 43 Jan 22, 0400 hrs | Nagasaki, Japan | Boarded train, arrived in Tokyo on 43 Jan 24 at 0700 hrs, boarded electric train for 10 mile ride to camp | Tony Banham |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Ozark Passenger List C | SF | 1945-10-02 | picked up in Guam then to USA |
Ottawa Area Troops Returning From Japan
Seventeen Canadian soldiers from Military District No. 3, prisoners of the Japanese for several years, are returning to Canada. They docked at San Francisco on the U.S.S. Ozark on Tuesday, and are now en route to their homes.
They include: Rfn.. Clarence F. Bevan, Cobourg; Rfn: George Clarke, Arnprior; Rfn. Wendell F. Coughler, Aultsville; Rfn. William H. Gagne, Brighton; Pte. Richard N. Grieves, Haliburton; RQMS. William N. Henderson, Ville-Marie; Rfn. Thomas G. Jones, Pembroke; Rfn. Gordon J. Lalonde, Martintown; Rfn. Walter R. Lançour, Chalk River: Rfn. Clayton K. MacPherson, Cornwall; Rfn. Wilfred Maloof, Noranda; Rfn. Harold E. Maynes, Plainfield; Rfn. Lee E. Porterfield, Noranda; Rfn. Samuel Shane, Cornwall; Rfn: William G. Tainsh, Lindsay; Rfn. Clarence W. Thompson, Port Hope, and Rfn. Percy T. Weaver, Fenelon Falls.
Post-war Photo
Other Military or Public Service
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Death and Cemetery Information
| Date of Death (y-m-d) | Cause of Death | Death Class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-03-14 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Cobourg Ontario Canada | Cobourg Union Cemetery | ||
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Bud Bevan dies in sleep
Clarence Frederick Bud Bevan, 55, a former Cobourg boy and veteran of Hong Kong, died in his sleep early Sunday morning, March 14th, 1976, at his home in Lakefield.
The Cobourg branch of the Royal Canadian Legion will hold a service in his honor Tuesday evening at the MacCoubrey Guneral Home in Cobourg, and Rev. T. A. Tarleton, St. Peter's Anglican Church, will take the service at the funeral home on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. burial will be in Cobourg Union Cemetery.
Mr Bevan and his wife, the former Ruth Aileen McMann, grew up in Cobourg. They were married 30 years ago this Tuesday (March 16th, 1946) after Bud had returned from the Japanese prisoner of war camps and was working for Ontario hydro. He moved with Hydro, first to Peterborough, then to Lakefield, where they have lived since.
At Lakefield, he was a past president of the Branch 77, Royal Canadian Legion (his brother Jack is a past president of the Cobourg Branch), and a member of the Anglican Church. His rector in Lakefield was Rev. John Purser, whom he had known as a boy in Cobourg.
Mr. Bevan's parents were the late Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Henry Bevan. Mrs. Bevan's mother, Mrs. William B. McMann, continues to live in Cobourg. Her father is deceased.
The Bevan family has been in Cobourg since the 1840:s. It was Bud's great-grandfather Thomas Gribble Bevan who first came to Canada from Wales.
Bud enlisted with the Midland Regiment in Cobourg when war was declared in September, 1939, and transferred to the Royal Rifles at Niagara Falls. He arrived at Hong Kong just before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December, 1941. At the same time, the Japanese struck Hong Kong and Singapore. The Canadians at Hong Kong held out until Christmas Day, 1941, and were taken prisoner. They spent nearly 4 years in camps, under poor conditions before World War II was ended and they returned home.
Mr Bevan is survived by his wife of Lakefield, and three sons, Tom, Doug, and Ken, all of Toronto.
He leaves two brothers and two sisters; Betty, (Mrs. C. Quemby) and Jack of Cobourg, Bob of Calgary and Pat (Mrs. R. Marshall) of Bowmanville.
Reprinted from the Cobourg Star, March 15th, 1976. Written by the publisher, Dr. J. Johnston.
Links and Other Resources
There may be more information on this individual available elsewhere on our web sites - please use the search tool found in the upper right corner of this page to view sources.
Related documentation
- Our HKVCA Vault (Google Docs) may contain additional information, newspaper clippings, and documents which have been saved for this soldier. To access this information, click on the vault link and a Google Docs folder list will open in a separate tab. Use the first letter of the soldier’s service number, found at the top of this report, to open the correct folder. Each sub-folder is identified by service number. Scroll down until you reach the one of your interest.
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General Comments
picture of Tom, Ken, Ruth and Bud in Lakefield ON
After returning from WW2, Bud spent 30 years working for Ontario Hydro, starting in 1946. He was stationed in Cobourg, Peterborough and Lakefield. Bud married Ruth Aileen McMann. They raised 3 boys Tom, Doug and Ken. He had demons as most Japanese prisoners of war did. We boys never had rice until we left home. He didn’t talk much about the war or being a prisoner. He said he couldn’t blame all Japanese people for the leadership and he quickly learned which guards you could deal with and which not to approach. Bud passed away March 14,1976. Two days before their 30th anniversary. They were to leave for Hawaii on the 16th.
Submitted by son Ken February, 2021
C65245 Clarence BEVAN - 1945 Next of Kin: Mrs. Rose Bevan (mother), 358 John St., Cobourg ON.
End of Report.
Report generated: 27 Apr 2025.
Additional Notes
(These will not be visible on the printed copy)
- Service numbers for officers ("X") are locally generated for reporting only. During World War II officers were not allocated service numbers until 1945.
- 'C' Force soldiers who died overseas are memorialized in the Books of Remembrance and the Canadian Virtual War Memorial, both sponsored by Veterans Affairs Canada. Please use the search utility at VAC to assist you.
- Some birthdates and deathdates display as follows: 1918-00-00. In general, this indicates that we know the year but not the month or day.
- Our POW camp links along with our References link (near the bottom of the 'C' Force home page) are designed to give you a starting point for your research. There were many camps with many name changes. The best resource for all POW camps in Japan is the Roger Mansell Center for Research site.
- In most cases the rank displayed was the rank held before hostilities. Some veterans were promoted at some point prior to eventual post-war release from the army back in Canada. When notified of these changes we'll update the individual's record.
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